The defendants, who filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents, argued that their suspension from ASU was causing “irreparable harm” by preventing them from enrolling in classes. They also claimed that the suspensions violated their First Amendment rights.

Approximately 72 individuals, including both students and faculty, were arrested on Apr. 26 and taken into custody for continuing protests on the ASU campus. The Old Main lawn area was cleared overnight by police officers.

Judge John Tuchi ruled that the students had not provided enough evidence to support their claims of First Amendment rights violations. He also found that there was insufficient evidence of “irreparable harm” caused by the university’s suspension of the students. The trespassing charges at the center of the lawsuit have not yet been addressed in court.

Since the arrests, students and faculty have been protesting to demand that the university drop all charges against the protesters.

In a similar situation, the University of Arizona is also dealing with protesters occupying parts of its campus. University president Robert C. Robbins announced on May 1 that he had directed officials, campus police, and local law enforcement to enforce campus use policies and laws “without further warning.”

State troopers were seen on campus with pepper ball guns and gas masks, and arrests began later despite an initial 10:30 p.m. deadline for protesters to leave.

Article generated from corporate media reports.